Christmas Tree

For those of you who don't know, purchasing a Christmas tree from a farm is a huge Downey Family tradition. Fake or lot purchased just aren't good enough. It's not Christmas without the trip out the farm to find the best tree and then chopping it down. Andy has welcomed the tradition for the past four years, and gets more into it every year. For the past two years we have gone with my parents to place in New Berlin. Finding the "perfect tree" is always the challenge. This year Andy and I decided to go taller, and fatter.

Well, we found our tree! 9 feet tall and probably 6-8 feet around (I know you think I'm exaggerating, but come see the tree in our living room). It is Goliath. I think we got a little too excited about getting a fat tree. Oh well...it's beautiful!


Here is my sexy tree cutter. I am surprised I got him to smile, because he had just laid on some cactus. I am a huge lover of cactus, so they are now a part of my planter family. Buy a tree...take home cactus for free.


Big tree + Big Trunk = two men to cut it down. What you don't see is my mom is on the other side of the tree pulling to help the process along. Me, I'm standing by watching...what? Every job needs a supervisor!


The End Result....

A beautiful tree!!

Thank you mom and dad for coming up to help get the tree in the stand and for working on light replacing. Thank you sweet husband for embracing my love of freshly cut trees and working so hard to make it perfect.


THE FALL!!!

Shortly after I took this last picture, the unthinkable happened. at 5:50PM my tree came crashing down. We don't know what caused it. All I know is I was walking into the kitchen and the next thing I see is the tree falling to the ground. For most, this would be a problem, for me, it was a tragedy. My whole life I have received an ornament from my mom and from my grandmother every year. So I have well over 50 meaningful and well loved ornaments. Andy, knowing that the Christmas Tree and the ornaments that decorate it are the center of my Christmas decorating and love, has added to the ornament giving and gives me an ornament every year. We have also started a Garcia family tradition where we purchase an ornament from every place we travel to. Well, our house is tile....Tile and glass and porcelain ornaments do not mix well. As tears filled my eyes, my husband rushed to save the tree, and my devastation. After calming me down (the best he could) we started to pick up the wreckage.

First, we fixed the tree. It is now attached in several places to fishing line and nailed (discreetly) to the door frame. This tree isn't going anywhere.

Second, I began going through the broken ornaments. Among the casualties....
- A precious moments ornament (I am a collector of precious moments)
- a Tiffany's & Co. crystal wreath that my dance team gave me two years ago
- Santa's Workbench ornament
- A few balls (surprisingly most of the cheap balls survived)

Sorry for the long sob story, but this has rocked my little world. I am thankful that only a few were lost and that again, my wonderful husband came to the rescue! We are currently working an putting the lights and ornaments all back in order.

Thanksgiving

Well, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day as well as a restful break. Andy and I sure did. It was so nice to have the whole week off together. We got to spend so much time together and got to get a lot done.

Thanksgiving Day we spent with my family. My parents and sister, as well as my mom's two sisters and their families were all at my parent's house. We had 21 people eating in the same room. The day was filled with great food, laughter, sarcasm (a must in the Downey House Hold) and fellowship. I am the oldest of 12 cousins on my mom's side of the family, and it is always great to spend time with everyone and see how they are growing.


Sitting on my parents back porch...waiting for dinner to be served!


Some of the fam. My cousin Jeff and his too cute girlfriend, Becca. His mom, my mom's older sister, Robin. and to the far right my cousin Madison (she is the clone of Aubrey), and her dad, my Uncle Jim.


After dinner Lyla was moving around, and Aunt Autumn got to feel her for the first time. Autumn was beyond ecstatic!!


Everyone chillin' on the couch watching the UT/A&M game. My cousin Sarah, aunt Robin, uncle Jim and his wife (my mom's younger sister) Renee' (also my middle name sake), cousin Madison and my mom and my sister's weird boyfriend John.

Friday, we went to Andy's Grandmother's house. First, I must tell you that Grandma Lupe is doing great. She is strong and plans on living for a long time. Andy's mom made lunch, and it was fabulous. His Uncle Dan and his wife, two boys, and in-laws were there. JJ and Aunt Pinkie came, and then later Aunt Beth and Stephanie (with baby Gabriel) joined us from Dallas. It was so great to see everyone, and who can complain about two Thanksgiving feasts. I think Lyla got more than enough to eat. I know this because I was beyond full. But who can blame me, I got to eat whatever I wanted and don't have to worry about the weight gain.

Friday night we made our way over to Jenny and Danny's for their annual Thanksgiving party. It was so much fun to see their growing daughter, Lilly, as well as all of our friends. It's so crazy how many of us have kids (or are in the process of) these days. Definitely a different kind of party than years past. Several had to leave early to put their little ones to bed. I guess Andy and I will be joining that band wagon soon enough.

Jenny and Danny were also kind enough to let us borrow their heart monitor and microphone. Jenny said she wasn't ever able to hear Lilly's heartbeat, but it was fun trying. Below is a picture of Andy and I trying to hear Lyla's heartbeat. We didn't hear it, but we have not given up hope. You can see the intent look on my face as I am trying to search for her heartbeat. Andy also had a blast giving Lyla a play by play of what was going on in the house. I think he will get a lot of use out of the microphone.

Andy meets Lyla

Last night Andy was able to feel Lyla move for the first time at 20 weeks and 3 days. It wasn't strong, and he had to be very patient, but he got to feel what I've been feeling for the past few weeks. We just laid in bed with his hand on my belly and talked and waited. She was moving a lot, but not all were strong enough for him to feel. But once he got the hang of what he was suppose to be feeling, he got to feel several movements. We were both excited because we didn't expect him to be able to feel her for several more weeks. We both can't wait until she is bigger so we can tell what body part we are feeling. It's just such an exciting experience and I'm glad I can now share that with him.

Andy is still having a hard time calling her Lyla. He still calls her baby when we talks to her. He does refer to her as a girl (which is good), but he said it still feels weird to call her by name. Hopefully feeling her move will make it more real and deepen the connection.

On a side note, we also got her cradle last night. One of my dance team moms, Debi Solis, gave us a beautiful wooden cradle that she used with her youngest son. It is in great condition and is going to look great in our bedroom. Right now it is in the guest bedroom/undecorated nursery with a few teddy bears keeping it warm until Lyla comes. I am so thankful that so many people are willing to reach out and help us out. I'm also honored to be able to us a cradle that was so loved by someone else. I love hand-me-downs.

Sisters

My sister and I eating the famous sausage on a stick at Wurstfest a few weeks ago!

I just have to tell you how thankful I am for my sister. I was able to spend some great quality time with her and my mom this past weekend. We had a girls night watching movies and eating cookie dough on the couch Friday night. Sunday my mom and Autumn came up to Boerne for lunch at one of my favorite places, Peachtree House and then we shopped all afternoon. Last night Andy and I went over for dinner at my parents and Autumn was in for the day and I got to spend some more time with her.

As many of you may know, Autumn and I have been polar opposites our whole lives, which usually led to many disagreements, arguements, lack of understanding, and a not so close relationship. Now granted we were always there for eachother when we needed eachother, but we just never really clicked. My mom would always tell me, "you'll be close when your older." Well, I'm 25 and Autumn is 22 and I feel like it's finally happening. I have watched Autumn grow into a confident young woman, overcoming many obstacles. She knows what she wants to do with her life, at least what she wants to do for a job, and is sticking it out at Texas State to accomplish that goal. We are also becoming more alike as we get older. I know she is hating that. :)

I truly feel like God is using Lyla to tighten and stregthen the bond I have with my sister. She has wanted us to have a baby since the day Andy and I got married. I think she has been the most excited of anyone (some days even me). She told me last night, "I love my niece and I haven't even met her yet." Autumn talks to Lyla, loves shopping for her and is probably the first one to check for blog updates. I am so thankful to have a sister who loves me and loves my baby girl. I am thankful that God is bringing us into a relationship that I have desired for many years.

Autumn, if you are reading this...I am beyond proud of how far you've come! I know the road hasn't been an easy one, but you are a fighter. You give me the confidence I need to take on the struggles in my life. Thank you for loving me and sharing in the joy of my pregnancy. I look forward to what a great aunt you will be to Lyla and the things you will teach her.

Healthy Girl

Well, I sure have been blogging a lot this week, but so much is going on. I went back for another ultrasound today so they could check her head, brain size and face. Lyla is A-Okay. No cleft pallate, no excess fluid in her brain. Ofcourse, my little girl was still profile, so we were lucky to get a good head shot. They had to get her face upside down because she still wouldn't turn her face to the camera. And again, her hands were up by her head. I did get two cute pictures.

Lyla is taking a big yawn! She must be tired from all the movement she had been doing earlier.


Here she is holding up 4 fingers, because she's 4 months old. Smart little thing. Although she's only 4 months for 2 more days.


Lyla has been moving so much more this week. I know that it's because she is getting bigger and I am getting better at telling the difference between gas bubbles (gosh I hate how many of those I get) and her movements. But I like to believe that she is moving more now because she knows that we know it's her and not "the baby." Now that she is Lyla she is letting mommy know she's here. It's so much fun to feel her move around. I just can't believe how much personality she has. It makes it hard to believe that anyone could abort their child. Even though she's only about 6 inches, she is a person with her own personality and her own quirks. I just can't wait to meet her face to face.

Sono Pictures

Here are some of the sonogram pictures.


You can see the tops of all 5 fingers. She has her hand up over her head. This is her left arm. Her right arm (you can't see) is draped over her head. Very cute!



And the all important "girl" picture. My dad said, "Her privacy is already being violated."



Our sweet little girl is already puckering for kisses!

We had a ton of pictures of her cute legs, several of her profile, but I thought these were the best ones.

It's a Girl!!!!

Sorry, that I didn't get to post earlier. I just got home. Our appointment ran late and then I had BSF tonight. Anyways, as you can probably tell by the title, we are having a girl. Lyla Danielle Garcia will be joining the world April 5, 2009. We fell in love with the name Lyla from the movie August Rush. Danielle is my sister's middle name and Daniel (the male version) is my dad's middle name (that is where Autumn got Danielle as her middle name) and Andy's brother, Aaron's middle name. So it's very family oriented. It is kind of a family tradition on my mom's side that the middle name have significance. What is more significant that having your grandpa's, aunt's and uncle's middle name?


I'm 19 weeks and 1 day today and Lyla is measuring the same. She is 9 ounces and healthy. I will attach pictures of the ultrasound tomorrow once Andy scans them in.


So here is the doctor appointment information. Lyla was giving us a fabulous profile, but that kept the technician from being able to measure her head and checking for any deformities on her face. Not to mention we didn't get to see her cute face. So I have to go back on Friday and hope that Lyla has moved around. She had her hands up beside her head just like her last viewing. I think she is into football season (touchdown). We go back in 3 weeks to meet with a specialist to have Lyla's heart checked. Andy has a family history of being born with holes in the heart, so we are going to check at 22 weeks to see if Lyla will have the same thing. There won't be anything they can do while she is in the womb, but at least we can monitor it and be prepared for when she arrives. The only other small concern is that the placenta is very close to the cervix. It must be at least 3 cm. away from the cervix in order for my to deliver V-back. Right now it's 1.94 cm. The doctor says this is common and that as the uterus grows the placenta could pull back and we should be fine. They will check again at 28-30 weeks.

Other than that, all is well here. Andy and I are very excited to be having a girl. I think Andy is a little shell shocked. One of the first things he said was, "we're going to have to pay for a wedding some day." I think reality is hitting him. More than anything we are just thankful that our baby girl is healthy.

I will post pictures tomorrow (as long as Andy gets them scanned). Talk to you soon.

Movement

Well, I didn't think I'd blog again until Monday when we find out the sex of the baby, but I just had to share with all of you that I felt the baby move this week. I've been paying close attention to anything going on in my belly, but so far hadn't felt anything other than the normal gurgling, until Wednesday night! Wednesday Andy and I were in bed reading the fourth month of What to Expect When You're Expecting and it talked about when you would feel movement, what to do with the crazy memory loss, etc. As I'm reading I felt two little bumps right below my belly button. It felt like someone bumped into me from the inside. Well, that someone is little Garcia. I told Andy, "I think I just felt the baby." It didn't feel like gas and it didn't feel like butterflies, it felt like something I've never felt before. Then again last night, I was sitting on the couch visiting with my sweet husband when I felt a little bump again. This time I'm sure...what I'm feeling is the baby. I felt this same thing but softer about a week ago, but wasn't sure. So I'm documenting that the first "official" movements are at 18 weeks and 3 days. It's a very exciting experience. I've been waiting patiently for 2 weeks to feel something, and the patience has paid off. I know that Andy is a little jealous, but he will just have to wait until the baby is bigger so he can feel what I'm experiencing.


Talk to you all again on Monday. Cross your fingers that the baby cooperates!

Belly Pictures and Baby Furniture

Hello Dear Friends. I know it's been a while since I blogged, but not a lot is going on. Recently I had some professional pictures taken. We are going to meet every 4 weeks to capture to growth of the belly and at the end she is going to put together a picture that shows me along the way. It's going to be really cool. Below are the first shots. Andy's and my favorite is the one of me looking down. Right now I'm not really looking at much, but soon there will be quite a belly sticking out.









The other big news is we have found our baby furniture at Burlington's Baby Depot. We are going today to put down a down payment. We are thankful that Burlington offers a 90 layaway so that we can make smaller payments over the next 3 months and will have our furniture by January. This is our first big purchase and it is a little scary and exciting. If you want to check it out it's called Delta Waverly. It's a beautiful almond color that I think is going to look great with our teddy bear bedding. I also bought our baby's first Halloween costume yesterday. I got a cute Giraffe costume on sale for $6.00. You just can't beat that. It's hard to believe that this time next year our little one will be almost 7 months old. It's hard to fathom that when I don't even feel the baby moving yet. How can I have a 7 month old in a year?


Andy officially resigned this week from Enterprise. His supervisor took the news very well. He did find out that Enterprise is laying off 700 people in the admin division (which is where Andy was). I believe that is either state or country wide, but it made Andy and I feel a whole lot better that he was able to choose to leave and hopefully saved one person their job. Andy is still going strong teaching lessons. He has lost a student, but is slowly getting leads for new students. So far every new person he has met with has signed on. He is thinking about finding a part time job in Boerne where he could work mornings, just to help supplement until his lessons replace his Enterprise income. But God has been faithful to us this past month in constantly reaffirming that we are making the right decision. He has kept peace in both of our hearts and has surrounded us with prayer warriors. We are thankful that everyone has been so supportive. And I can't tell you what a happier person my husband is. He is so at peace and a joy to spend time with when I get home. He cooks dinner when I've had to work late, he helps straighten up the house, folds clothes, reorganizes closets to get ready for the baby.... He is incredible. He has been so caring and loving through the pregnancy making sure I'm doing what I'm suppose to and feeling comfortable.


We are looking forward to finding out the sex of the baby. We have a week left, and I am so ready to know. I will blog again on November 10th to let you know if it's a boy or a girl. Our appointment is at 2:30 in the afternoon, so keep your fingers crossed that the baby cooperates so we can see if it's he or she.